The present invention generally relates to open plan furniture arrangements and, more particularly, to an improved system for providing visual privacy in such open plan furniture arrangements.
A typical open plan furniture arrangement includes a plurality of vertically oriented panels that are positioned at predetermined locations on a horizontal surface which are connected together to define a workspace for a number of workers. Typically, a wide variety of other types of office furniture such as file cabinets, shelves and the like are used in conjunction with the vertical panels in the working environment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,220 which issued to Burton L. Siegal on Jan. 4, 1994 discloses a visual privacy system for an open plan furniture arrangement. In this system, a horizontally retractable panel is situated at one side of an interval defined in the furniture arrangement, typically between a pair of vertical panels. The retractable panel can be drawn across the interval to a closed position and secured in that position to provide the desired visual privacy. This system is satisfactory for its intended uses. However, it is desirable to modify and improve the system to expand its capabilities and potential uses in addition to minimizing the problems associated its use.
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,220, it is required that each retractable panel and jamb strip corresponding thereto be mounted to a vertical panel. An open plan furniture system permitting long, curving, irregular or straight temporary corridors or areas to be defined in a location where vertical panels might not exist is desirable, particularly in view of the increasing use of temporary task groups in the office environment.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,220, a retractable panel is secured in a closed position to a jamb strip at a latching point which is disposed generally at the vertically symmetrical centerline of the retractable panel. Thus, the modular panels to which the housing and jamb strip are attached must be vertically aligned to prevent the retractable panel from buckling or drooping when deployed and latched. Furthermore, typical modular panels are provided with leveling glides at each end to allow them to be used on uneven or sloping surfaces. The two modular panels that define an interval are not normally vertically aligned with each other, but are aligned with those panels that are contiguous with them.
However, such vertical alignment compensation of a long run of panels over a wide, uneven surface can introduce vertical misalignment between any two adjacent panels that define an interval as great as three quarters of a inch. Thus , it is desirable to allow the vertical position of the latching point to be vertically adjusted to allow visual privacy to be provided even when the vertical panels are out of vertical alignment, such as when the furniture system is utilized on an uneven or sloping surface.
The retractable panels disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,220 provide visual privacy for the user and blend in with the decor of the environment in which the system is used. In a typical application, an elasticized fabric which compliments the modular panels may be utilized. Such fabrics can be difficult to control when rolled and rerolled many times and can often develop unsightly stretched and sagging zones over time. Furthermore, the thickness of different types of elasticized fabrics can vary greatly which results in undesirable inventory and manufacturing problems related to attaching the fabrics to a spring loaded roller mounted inside a housing. Providing a uniform attachment between the material of the retractable panel to the spring loaded roller is desirable.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,220, the torsion spring loaded roller is maintained at a predetermined tension to permit a retractable panel to be withdrawn from and retracted into a housing. To adjust the tension, a user would have to remove the end cap from the housing and an internal bracket to which the roller is mounted. Removing the internal bracket from the housing would result in a sudden and total free spinning of the tension spring without the user having any idea of what tension existed before the bracket was removed. Providing a user adjustable tension setting of a spring loaded roller in a visual privacy system is desirable.
The system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,220 provides visual privacy in an existing office environment. Free standing steel file cabinets, wardrobes and the like are increasingly used in typical office environments in conjunction with vertical panels. It is desirable to be able to mount and detachably couple the visual privacy system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,220 on such types of furniture in addition to vertical panels.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,220, a person outside an enclosed workstation could gain access to the workstation so that, for example, that person could come to the aid of a suddenly stricken occupant. Thus, a user had to lock any confidential materials inside the workstation in a secure cabinet or the like to ensure the security of those materials. Thus, it is desirable to include a locking device with the visual privacy system to allow users to secure confidential materials and other items within a closed workstation when the user is not present.